Curators are charged with cultivating a collection of art pieces and artifacts for their venues. Examples of venues where a curator may work include museums, art galleries and private collectors. As a curator you are expected to recognize and add valuable pieces to the collection; you also need to know how to properly store, display, care for and repair artwork. Curators are often called upon to design exhibits and participate in the promotion of art shows and exhibitions.

Venue Strengths and Weaknesses

Curators are expected to easily identify places where it is appropriate to display artwork. Because of this, a common curator interview question is if the curator can identify the strengths and weaknesses of a venue as a place to display art. When answering this question, the curator should point out where different pieces of artwork would best be displayed. Things to keep in mind include the temperature and humidity of the space, natural and artificial light and the proximity of heating or cooling equipment, all of which could damage delicate works of art.

Choosing Artwork

Another question that a curator may be asked in an interview is how to choose the art specifically for that venue. Building a collection of artwork is a very expensive process and must be done with care. A good curator can tell original artwork from a copy. You should make recommendations on what purchases would add significant value to the collection, and which ones are not worthwhile acquisitions.

Preservation

Art preservation is a delicate process and is often undertaken in a museum setting. Curators interviewing with museums may be asked their personal views on preserving history through art. This question assists the interviewer in measuring your commitment to art as a piece of history; the question also helps to determine how carefully you would oversee the restoration of often priceless works of art. A secondary question concerning preservation would be how should a work of art be processed and tested to begin the restoration process; how should the work be best preserved in its current state?

Display

The display of artwork is essential to the set up of exhibitions and how the public experiences the work. An interview question for a curator is to describe how you would display the artwork in a venue. This question checks your organizational skills and puts your creative skills on display for the interviewer. When answering this question, consider the physical space and light sources of the venue as well as the size, shape and subject of the art.

About the Author

Residing in Los Angeles, Kristin Swain has been a professional writer since 2008. Her experience includes finance, travel, marketing and television. Swain holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication from Georgia State University.